Typography: Final Compilation and Reflection

Week 13-14 22/12/2023 

ALTAIFI, LEEN MAAN A (0367698)

Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media, Taylor's University

Typography

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Table of Content

1. Submissions

    - Task 1

    - Task 2 

    - Task 3

2. Reflections

    - Experience

    - Observations

    - Findings

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1. Submissions

Task 1- Exercise 1 Type Expression:

   Fig. 2.12: 4 Word Expression Final Draft JPEG (13/10/2023)

 Fig. 2.12: 4 Word Expression Final Draft PDF (13/10/2023)

Final Gif Animation:

Fig. 2.16: Final Animation of Smoke (17/10/2023)

Task 1- Exercise 2 Text Formatting:

Fig. 2.24: Text formatting Final Draft With Grid 
 (25/10/2023)

Fig. 2.23: Text formatting Final Draft Without Grid 
 (27/10/2023)

Fig. 2.25: Text formatting Final Draft Without Grid PDF
 (27/10/2023)

Fig. 2.26: Text formatting Final Draft With Grid PDF
 (27/10/2023)

Text Formatting Details: 

Head:

Font/s: Univers LT Std
Type Size/s: 50 pt
Leading: 60 pt
Paragraph spacing: 13 pt

Body:
Font/s: Univers LT Std
Type Size/s: 10 pt
Leading: 13 pt
Paragraph spacing: 13 pt
Characters per-line: 50
Alignment: Align Left

Margins: 3p0 top, 2p3 left, 2p3 right ,3p0 bottom
Columns: 4

Gutter: 1p2.173

Task 2 - Editorial Layout:

Fig. 2.11: Final Editorial Layout without Grid  (10/11/2023)

Fig. 2.12: Final Editorial Layout with Grid (10/11/2023)

Fig. 2.13: Final Editorial Layout with Grid PDF (10/11/2023)

Fig. 2.13: Final Editorial Layout without Grid PDF (10/11/2023)

Task 3:

Task 3: Font:

 Fig. 2.23: Final Construction of Letters PDF (5/12/2023)

Fig. 2.24: Final Construction of Letters JPG (5/12/2023)

Poster:

Fig. 2.30: Final Poster of Racist AL Font PDF (15/12/2023)

Fig. 2.31: Final Poster of Racist AL Font JPG (15/12/2023)

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2. Reflections

Experience

My initial experience in this module was challenging especially because this was my first experience designing text, or looking at text in a designer perspective, and my first time using adobe software as well. I learned a bit about the history, evolution, and significance of typography and that made the design process all the more interesting knowing its potential and its depth.

At first, I was focusing on the wrong sets of skills for typography. I come from a drawing background, so most of my type designs were illustrative in nature. After trial, error, and feedback from the lecturer, I have changed  the direction I was taking, and focused more on designing rather than illustrating. 

Documenting my progress was also difficult to get used to at first, since I tend to forget to record my progress whilst working, but it became a habit afterwards.

After practicing and having multiple tasks on kerning and letter spacing, I have gotten a hang of it. It was a bit tedious at first on top of having to memorize the do's and don'ts and the terminology, but with time and practice, I got familiarized with it.

In one of our tasks, we had to sketch our fonts with a pen and paper. I felt rusty because I haven't put in the effort to make my handwriting look pleasant in a long time. Although it was challenging to get a hang of the angle of the pen, especially the broad tip one, it was a fun exercise. This task taught me a lot about the steps that are typically underwent when creating a font, and how the attention to the littlest details make the biggest differences. I learned how to fully utilize the brush pen tool and work with vectors. It also taught me a lot of patience.

Observations

 The learning style of this class was different compared to the others due to the fact that it was the only physical BDCM class; it was more interactive that way and the lecturer gave a lot of helpful feedback. It felt a lot more like I was genuinely learning rather than just attending a class because some of the times we would work in class. This creates a productive environment since my peers are working alongside me, and we could give each other critiques and advices.

I also observed that I tend to spend a lot of time paying attention to the smallest details that I often forget about the bigger picture and the main idea, when I should be spending a lot of my time in the ideation process.

From looking at my peers and my seniors' works, I have observed that the creativity in designing text is limitless, despite its strictness. You can get away with crossing the 'boundaries' and I find that really interesting. One of the main perks of having physical class is the opportunity to see other classmates' work. In one of our classes, we all displayed our works in our laptop, and we moved around to look at each other's laptops. I found that interaction very helpful, we observed, compared each others' posters, and thought about what it is that makes their designs good. The downside of having classes online, is that we're all isolated, stuck behind our screens, in our own chamber. We do not have a clue what the standard is; what is considered good, and what is considered bad. So, when we have the chance of looking at classmates works, we start to build an idea and a better judgement to critique ourselves with. And I felt like I took it for granted, I hope I will keep this in mind for next time and apply it better.  

Findings

I learned that design is not simply about aesthetics, or the visual aspect of things. It is about communicating information and ideas in a way that is both easily understood and creative. Through practicing and working on all the tasks and exercises, I've learned to implement more thinking, and planning to the message of my designs, instead of just the appearance.

In the process of working on task 3, I learned about Ethnic Typefaces; they are decorative typefaces that are designed to appear as foreign languages such as Arabic, Chinese characters, Hebrew...etc.  The designs are often based off stereotypes, which is why it sparked such a controversy. Typography is known to evoke emotions, and especially in today's socio-political climate, the racialization of type has formed.  "Typography is what language looks like." - Ellen Lupton. 

I still need to further practice on portraying my message through designs, instead of focusing solely on the aesthetic. I do put some thought behind it, but the intentions should be clear to both myself and the viewer, otherwise the intention has failed. And when it comes to design, you are supposed to test the limits. While design can be technical and have rights and wrongs, it is still subjective at the end of the day. Always think outside the box, do not let rules and limitations confine you!

Links You Might Want to Visit:

Typography: Task 1

Typography: Task 2

Typography: Task 3